


Ghost, God Of Dreams

by LeonidasVIII



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Ghost sees a lot of dreams and gets ten years older with every month that goes by, Seer is only there for a minute but she supports Ghost being a kid, could be canon compliant, dream no more ending fix it, it's all post canon, it's hard being a vessel and then you're suddenly a God, you can't say it's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:41:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23675542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeonidasVIII/pseuds/LeonidasVIII
Summary: The knight, Ghost, pauses, and asks a simple question. The Radiance, long mad from her pain, hates the simple kindness. But, she knows she's damaged that which she loved most. Perhaps the little vessel is what her realm needs.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 169





	Ghost, God Of Dreams

The Radiance was furious. This little thing, born of Root and the damned Wyrm, filled with that vile Void, thought it could defeat her? Managed to stun her in her albeit weakened state enough for the true Void to touch her? She was outraged. Her attacks sped up, the patterns grew closer together. When the shell split, she was sick with satisfaction. But then the shadow rose up, and that damned knight was there as well, grabbing her and making her vulnerable. But the small shade hesitated. 

_Well?! Kill me, vessel!_

**ghost.** That gave her pause, the quiet, withdrawn voice, but so sure of itself. And so stupid. She lunged for its mind, but was met with warm red and gray, with tall white horns, one set pronged (the knight) and one not. _**she needs me not to fall to you. they need me not to fall to you. what's your name?**_ She was dumbfounded. Her name? 

_As long as I am remembered, I will live. Surely you know that._ It seemed to nod. 

_**name?** _She snarled, screaming, starting to writhe, and it took action, attacking her, tearing into her with its essence of Void. And she screamed as the Void took her. Beneath it, she gave a near silent whisper, meant only for the quiet mind that had answered when she reached, the one she had decided would do far better there than wasting away in the Abyss. 

_My brother called me Radi._

* * *

Ghost had seen the Void retreat, had seen Hollow fade away, not swept up with the other siblings, and had found themself in a realm that suddenly felt far more solid. They reformed their shell, happily slid into it, and looked around. It was very bright. And they could feel so many bugs! Quirrel and Myla and Cloth and Sly and Lemm and Hornet and even the Old Stag! And they could feel places the realm was wrong, where it felt like someone had taken it and wrung all the good out of it. They started shaping it, making it better. Fixing it. And one day, they felt the Seer, but she felt very solid. They went to where she had entered the realm, and smiled. They'd made it so they could smile, they liked seeing smiles, and now their mask moved like the bug faces they'd seen! Seer smiled back. 

"Hello, Wielder. It seems you've become a God of Dreams." They nodded. 

_**yes! i wanna go back, i wanna see hornet and hollow and everyone, but i can wait!**_ They puffed themself up, their expression turning very regal. _**gods are very patient you know.**_ That had the Seer chuckling. 

"I think we both know that you are not. What is your name? I was never able to get it." They grinned. 

_**ghost! ghostghostghost that's me i'm ghost! hornet's ghost, ghost of hallownest, ghost of dreams, ghost!**_ The Seer laughed more at that. 

"And you must like it quite a bit!" They nodded enthusiastically. "I am glad you are happy, Ghost. Perhaps you can try and visit this Hornet in their dreams?" Ghost froze. They hadn't thought of that, why hadn't they thought of that?! They started to rush off before pausing, shooting back over to the Seer and hugging her. She hugged back. "Go on, don't let an old moth stop you." They darted off, grinning. 

* * *

It'd been a few weeks since Ghost had sacrificed themself for them, and Hornet was still having trouble coping with it. So when she dreamed of them, it wasn't surprising. But this was a place she'd never seen before, and she felt far more aware than usual. And then Ghost grinned, a rather unsettling thing. 

_**hornet! hornet i'm a god now i'm the god of dreams isn't that so cool?! and i can talk to you, isn't that amazing?! and you can hear me!**_ They paused. _**you can hear me, right?**_ She chuckles sadly. 

"Yes, little Ghost, I can hear you. Though you sound different than I'd imagined." Her hand came to rest between their horns, and they closed their eyes (since when could they do that?) floating a bit higher. "We miss you." Their expression fell.

_**i miss you too. but i'm trying to find my way to you, I am! dreams aren't meant to be in the physical world. but i'll visit you a lot! i'd visit hollow, but i think i'd scare them…**_ She tilted her head. 

"Why? You are their sibling, you saved them."

_**and dreams hurt them, hornet. the radiance, she hurt them so badly! and if i try to enter their dreams i might accidentally hurt them or i might scare them, i don't even know if they dream at all!**_ There was the Ghost she knew, so kind and caring. She knelt, cupped their mask. There were black tears spilling from their eyes. 

"You will not hurt them, Ghost. You never could. Well, not unless it was on purpose." She kissed their forehead, and they clung to her. 

_**i'm scared. i don't wanna leave them in the dark, but i don't wanna hurt them, and i don't know what to do…**_

"I could pass on a message?" They looked at her, and then they nodded. Yes, that'd work. 

* * *

Hornet walked into the kitchen, watching Hollow cook for a moment before she yawned, causing them to glance at her. 

"Good morning, Hollow." They dipped their head in getting, turning back to their cooking. She hesitated, and then spoke. "I had an odd dream last night. It was Ghost, and… And they spoke. And their face could move. And… They said they were the God of Dreams." Hollow paused, then turned and glared. "I'm not joking! I wouldn't, not about this. And besides, isn't it a nice idea? If they are, then… Then they're not gone. They're just… Not here." Hollows arm wrapped around her, and she leaned into the tall vessel, their body pock marked and damaged from the infection. She wrapped her arms around them, closing her eyes. It truly was a lovely idea, that the little Ghost had survived somehow. 

* * *

Years had passed. Ghost's visits were few and far between. Hornet was so far from home. She was scared and alone and she hadn't slept in days. So when she found a secluded place, let herself fall asleep, she didn't expect the quiet darkness that enveloped her dream. The soft humming. She looked around, and caught sight of a mask, pure white, two tall horns. Two wrong horns. They were forked, not pronged, splitting into two elegant lines. The owner had her head in their lap, their hand between her horns. And they smiled thinly. 

_**you're a long way from hallownest, hornet.**_ She closed her eyes.

"I suppose I am, little Ghost. How have you found me? Are you not a god of Hallownest?" A low sigh. When did they become so weary? 

_**everyone dreams. hollow dreams, brumm dreams, lace dreams. everyone dreams, it's just that everyone i'd bother to visit is in hallownest.**_ She nodded a bit. 

"I suppose that makes sense. …Will you be here, next time I dream? Something from home?" They nodded, pressing their mask to hers. 

_**i will. i love you. sister, hornet, protector, friend, sister.**_ There was such weight in their words. Their inflection didn't change, but the emphasis did. She let them lull her into a state of calm, and when she woke, she allowed herself a moment to miss the quiet humming. 

* * *

Lace's startled shout was the first sign something was wrong. The second was when she looked back and saw a figure she'd only seen in dreams. And they grinned. 

" **sister!** " She stared a moment too long, and Lace's pin was at their throat. They pouted at her, but then Hollow's nail was there as well, and the expression was far more hurt. 

"Drop your weapons! Hollow, you at least I'd expect to recognize them." She stood, walked over to the vessel that had entered so unannounced, and took their hand, guiding them out. Hollow and Lace followed, the former wary but the latter simply curious. She went and sat on the edge of the well, motioning for them to do the same. "Explain how you managed this. You said that dreams are not meant to be in the physical realm." They grinned, looking as mischievous as she'd seen them.

" **dreams aren't, but void is. i asked the mask maker to make me a new vessel, one that fit better, and he agreed. the void was willing to give up some of itself so i could be with you all again. it was only ever so angry, so hungry, because pieces of it had been stolen, could never be returned so long as they had a purpose. but it was calmed when hollow and i didn't want to go back.** " They straightened a bit, puffing themself up, and she was reminded of a younger Hollow, doing their best to look regal for their father. " **and i'm very convincing, and very diplomatic, and it agreed that i could have some of it back for a while.** " Hornet chuckled, taking their hand. 

"Well, you're certainly something, Ghost." They pulled her into a hug, and though she tensed, she hugged back after a moment. 

"So, darling, going to introduce me to this tall, handsome stranger?" Hornet shot her a sharp look even as Ghost echoed 'handsome' with some confusion. 

"This is my y-" She paused, turning to look at the once-vessel-now-god. "...Ghost how old are you?" They paused, and looked at Hollow. 

" **hollow, how old are we?** " She buried her face in her hands. 

"Still useless with time, I see. Anyways, I suppose this is my… Older sibling? Much like Hollow, they are related to me by my father." Lace nodded. 

"I see. So you and Hollow are clutch mates then?" Ghost nodded. Hollow still seemed wary, but they were relaxing, at least. 

* * *

Ghost felt Hollow's mind vanish from their awareness, and sighed. They looked to the little caterpillar next to them, sleeping soundly. 

_**That's it then, Radi. They're all gone.**_ The god's eyes closed, and they let their awareness expand. They could feel those that had been touched by their family, those that still lived, that lived solely because of their family. _**Perhaps one day, you'll experience the same. Your moths still live, you know. They still pray, and I suppose they're why you've come back. Once a god always a god, hm?**_ The caterpillar shifted onto her back, opening one faintly glowing eye to look at them tiredly. They laughed, poking her nose and causing her to curl up. _**Rest well. I'll give you this world back when you've grown enough. Perhaps, if you feel loss like that again, you'll remember me. The little vessel you gave so much to.**_ They looked around at their realm, at the streaks of black that decorated the gentle place, and sighed. They'd leave such a mess when they left… Would it be as bad as the one she'd left? They'd never perverted the realm… What if they had? No. They'd never be able to do something as damaging to the realm as she had. They took a steadying breath. Dreams would be fine. 

* * *

The Radiance, Radi, she remembered her first life. She remembered the pain that drove her mad. And she remembered the little ghost she'd given her realm to, in an act of desperation to try and fix what she'd done. She danced through dreams now, touching but never overstepping. Her moths still loved her, and they immortalized the vessel as well, for all they had done fixing her mistakes. And she goes and stares into the void, sometimes, the antithesis of all she is. She watches its gentle movement, and she wonders if, somewhere within it, the knights that affected her so strongly slumber. Are they erased within it? Or are they minds in a sea of them, waiting for something? She studies the silent white masks that litter platforms down, thinks on the darkest memory they'd seen of the knight that imprisoned her. A vessel, struggling to pull themself up onto the platform she stands on, while they watched impassively, knowing that if they saved them, they'd both be thrown back. She wonders how they felt, knowing they'd needed no saving, that what they felt to be their greatest betrayal had saved them in the end. She leaves, sensing but not seeing or hearing the presence at her back. The gentle cold of the vessel that healed her, whether in memory or actuality, makes her smile a bit. 


End file.
